Google Gnome

Google Gnome was one of the biggest April Fools' gags of 2017. It was featured prominently in all the big media roundups, including Mashable, Time, The Verge, and AdWeek.

The video was shared over 40,000 times, "liked" more than 100,000 times, and had almost 7 million views — 3 million more than Brand Studio's 2016 April Fools' video.

Verily

Art Direction + DesignGoogle Brand Studio 2015_

Utensils that adapt to tremors, contacts that monitor glucose, wearables that warn users of impending heart events. Verily uses science to make lives better in a real, tangible way. They thrive in the intersection of life and data, and their brand had to feel firmly planted in each of those worlds.

The form is inspired by the scientific process. The bar is a constant, a launchpad for discovery and possibility. The V is the variable, and represents the wide range of work done at Verily. It can be activated through the visual language of biology and data to take on new life and meaning across different applications and mediums.

The blue-to-red gradient, applied across all brand materials, is inspired by the visible light spectrum, medical imagery, and the vibrant lights and dyes used in Verily's studies. These colors are intimately understood by scientists and deeply rooted in the culture of research and data visualization. We chose intentionally punchy, "digital" colors to make sure the brand felt fresh and modern.

In a few quick weeks, our small team developed a dynamic identity that gave life to Verily's mission and set them apart from their competitors in an exciting way. At launch, the company became a trending topic on Facebook, and was reported on positively by many major news outlets. Most importantly, the identity was met with overwhelming enthusiasm from the Verily team, who proudly sport the logo on shirts, jackets, and stickers — around their office and into the world.

Halfwit Coffee Roasters

Art Direction + DesignFirebelly Design 2013_

Identity for Chicago's Halfwit Coffee Roasters — inspired by the atomic age, vintage chemistry sets, and the real science behind Halfwit's out-of-this-world roasts. The label and icon system communicate real info about the freshness, flavor and source of their sustainably-grown beans, while the surreal, sci-fi packaging pays tribute to the company's future-forward, mad-scientist approach to coffee.

Year in Search 2016

Creative Direction + DesignGoogle Brand Studio 2016_

As part of Google's annual Year in Search project, we created an interactive data visualization for 2016's breakout searches — 365 terms that reached an all-time high in search interest that year. Results can be filtered by people, places, ideas, or things, and sorted by month, region, and max search interest. Terms can also be explored on a map of the world, to quickly see what was big where.

The experience had over a million visitors, with an average engagement time of 2:41. In addition to being featured on Mashable, Wired and as a FastCo Infographic of the Day, it was also shortlisted for a 2016 Cannes Lion in the "Digital Craft—Data Storytelling" category.

Pawdicures

Creative Direction & DesignFreelance-Nail care for cats and dogs.

Fortune Sellers

Creative Direction + DesignSelf-initiated 2016

#ShowUp

Google took a strong stance for Pride 2017, by literally asking people to show up to marches and parades across the country. Via physical signs and a digital hashtag, the LGBTQ+ community and its allies were encouraged to share their reasons for participating in Pride events—a simple type treatment let those personal reasons take center stage.

Buildings

Creative Direction + DesignSelf-initiated 2017_

An ongoing celebration of American cities' most iconic buildings. SF & Chicago with more to come.

I am ProHeart

Art Direction + DesignEnergyBBDO 2014_

When Bayer Aspirin decided to update the website for their highly-regarded I am ProHeart community, they wanted to ensure the brand felt modern, friendly, and distinctive. I created a simple new mark that uses translucency and overlapping elements to create a forward facing arrow, speaking to clarity and forward momentum. Paired with a new typeface, the new lockup is clean, yet humanistic—and the "overlapping" language can easily be extended to other brand programs, like their ProHeart Path.

Divvy

Naming + DesignFirebelly Design + IDEO 2013

Through a partnership with Firebelly and IDEO, I helped develop the name and identity for Chicago’s bike-share program, Divvy. The name speaks to the sharing aspect of the program — that sentiment is furthered by the program's call-to-arms, "Divide and share."

The double-V symbol within the mark is also a street marking (called a "sharrow") that indicates a shared space for cars and bikes – and Divvy's arrival onto the city's landscape has firmly cemented the bicycle's rightful place within Chicago's transportation infrastructure.

The blue bikes cut a striking figure as they cruise by, and practically beg to be taken out on the town. The sharrow becomes a powerful communicative element used throughout the collateral and wayfinding systems citywide.

Share the Love

Creative Direction + DesignXi/Energy BBDO 2014_

A campaign concept for Lay's Potato Chips that leverages the "love" in their tagline, "One taste and you're in love." Users tag their Lay's moments on social networks and Lay's donates free chips to families in need.

Vocalo

Creative Direction + DesignFirebelly Design 2013_

To promote a new frequency for Chicago radio station Vocalo, I helped create a colorful, hand-painted campaign inspired by the colorful bodega signage that peppers the neighborhoods they broadcast to — a play on the notion of radio "markets."

The bright colors and quirky spirit of the campaign got a lot of attention throughout the city. In fact, the station was so excited by the reception that they refreshed the entire brand based around the "Fresh Markets" visual language, complete with a shiny new logo.

Freedom Express

Art Direction + DesignFirebelly Design 2013_

The Freedom Express is a 45-foot traveling museum that offers visitors an opportunity to explore their First Amendment freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly and petition. Photographs of recent, young McCormick grantees and found images from the Chicago Tribune's archives showcase a long history of freedom, and large, bold type is legible even in motion.

Hackster

Creative Direction + Design2015_

Hackster is an online hub made by and for makers—dedicated to the sharing, learning, and building of hardware. Their new mark speaks to the energy and passion that courses through their active community.

Typeforce III Exhibition Catalog

Art Direction + DesignFirebelly Design 2013_

I helped create the vibrant, pink interior spreads for Typeforce's annual exhibition catalog—from selecting and retouching photography to the typography and layout, each page was carefully crafted to visually recount the shared experiences had at the event.

Dollop Coffee & Tea

Art Direction + DesignFirebelly Design 2012_

When Dollop decided to expand beyond their original location to multiple locations across Chicago, they realized it was time to revisit their branding. I helped build the new brand for the coffee & tea provider, including signage, dimensional wall displays, menus, and a responsive new website. Logo and creative direction by Will Miller.

Flags of the World

Creative Direction + DesignGoogle Brand Studio_

Proprietary circular flag icons for Google. Each flag has been simplified as much as possible, yet remains easily recognized, even at small sizes. They share the same grid, color palette, and geometric method of construction, presenting the wide global spectrum of flag symbology in a unified, cohesive way — perfect for use in both UI and print applications.

City of Chicago

Concept + Art DirectionSelf-initiated 2014_

An unsolicited update of the Chicago seal, designed with one-color applications in mind.